Northwest NEWS

August 23, 1999

Police Beat

Woodinville

Aug. 20: A 44-year-old Snohomish burglar, who had assaulted a 54-year-old Woodinville man in his home on Aug. 10, was arrested at his job in Auburn at 11:15 a.m. last Friday. The burglar walked in an unlocked door of the owner's home. When the owner came in from the backyard, he heard a noise in his bedroom. When he walked in, the burglar assaulted him with hands and feet. The owner fought back. The fight lasted 5-7 minutes, including several death threats by the burglar, before he accepted the owner's advice to leave.

A neighbor who noticed the police response told police that a stranger had come to his door a few minutes before the attack, offering to do yard work. The neighbor asked the man to give him a business card so he could call him later. The man went to his car and brought back a card identifying him as an "Aspiring Recording Artist."

The neighbor's description matched that of the attacker, and he later identified the eager worker from a police picture. Police found that the phone number on the business card was the valid home number of the burglar. The man has a long record of burglaries and assaults. Police transported him to the King County Jail.

Also on Aug. 20, an enterprising N. Duvall woman was arrested at the Woodinville QFC where she was caught loading some $400 worth of groceries into shopping bags she had brought with her. Police discovered she had already loaded her car with plants from the outdoor plant display at QFC. They also found she was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant. They charged her with second-degree felony theft and gave her a free ride to the King County Jail.